The Portland Pilots baseball team will travel to Malibu for their final road weekend series of the 2026 season, facing the Pepperdine Waves beginning Friday, May 8. The three-game series at Eddy D. Field Stadium will be available for viewing on ESPN+, with live stats provided on PortlandPilots.com.
This matchup is significant as it marks a crucial point in the West Coast Conference (WCC) standings. The Pilots currently hold a record of 25-20 overall and 11-10 in conference play, having reached at least 25 wins for the fourth time in five seasons under head coach Geoff Loomis. Their recent performance includes taking two out of three games against San Diego and competing closely with No. 10 Oregon State in a marathon game that lasted twelve innings.
Probable starters for Portland include Will Labonte (3-2, 2.40 ERA) on Friday and Trey Newmann (2-5, 5.63 ERA) on Saturday, with Sunday’s starter yet to be determined. Labonte has been recognized as a College Baseball Hall of Fame National Pitcher of the Year semifinalist and leads all WCC freshmen in ERA while also being one of only two freshmen nationally named as semifinalists this year.
Several players have contributed notable performances recently: Trey Swygart pitched six innings and hit a grand slam against San Diego; Leo Cote batted .636 over three games; Cody Nitowitz hit his first career home run; and Cole Katayama-Stall continues to lead the team in home runs and stolen bases. Freshman Alex Via has set a program record with nine saves this season.
Head coach Geoff Loomis is now in his eleventh year leading the Pilots, accumulating over 250 career wins—fourth all-time at Portland—and remains an influential figure as both an alumnus and UP Athletics Hall of Fame member. The coaching staff includes associate head coach Trey Watt, director for player development Jarvis Gomes, assistant coach Ben Patacsil, and former standout Chad Holcroft.
Pepperdine enters the series with an overall record of 18-29 (12-9 WCC), surpassing last year’s win total under second-year head coach Tyler LaTorre. Both teams look to improve their positions ahead of postseason play.
